1. Field of the Invention
The invention relates to telecommunications, and more particularly, to a protocol integrating apparatus and method.
2. Background of the Related Art
Generally, a Signaling System No.7 (SS7) is a common signaling system in which the speech line and the signal channel are separated, and where a plurality of voice signals are transmitted and received through an independent signal channel.
FIG. 1 is a drawing illustrating a hierarchical protocol structure of the signaling system No.7. The signaling system No.7 includes a message transfer part (MTP) 100 for transferring a message to a destination and an MTP user unit 200 using the MTP 100. The MTP 100 includes three levels (MTP level 1- MTP level 3), and the MTP user unit 200 includes a Signaling Connection Control Part (SCCP), an Integrated Digital Services Network (ISDN), User Part (ISUP), a Telephone User Part (TUP) and a Data User Part (DUP) according to service characteristics.
The ISDN User Part (ISUP) provides the protocol's necessary to set-up, manage, and release trunk circuits that carry voice and data over narrow band-ISDN (N-ISUP) or broad band-ISDN (B-ISUP) services. MPT level 3 (MTP L3) distributes messages based on point code information contained in a routing label.
FIG. 2 is a drawing illustrating an MTP L3 protocol structure 20 of the signaling system No.7 for interfacing the N-ISUP network. A primitive managing unit 21 determines whether a message inputted from the MTP level 2 10 (a lower layer) is an N-ISUP message. If the received message is the N-ISUP, the primitive managing unit 21 determines whether the corresponding N-ISUP message is an originating message or a destination message.
A message distribution managing unit 22 transmits the N-ISUP message received from the primitive managing unit 21 to the MTP user unit (not shown) through a signal link and a signal route. An internal managing unit 23 activates a signal link managing unit 24, a signal link set managing unit 25, a signal route managing unit 26 and a data managing unit 27 and makes connection to a destination point code associated with N-ISUP 30, according to a prior user instruction.
The signal link managing unit 24 activates a signal link of the N-ISUP and restores the signal link under the control of the internal managing unit 23. The signal link set managing unit 25 activates a signal set of the N-ISUP and controls signal link availability, performs a link related measurement, monitors link set state, and restores a link as necessary, under the control of the internal managing unit 23. The signal route managing unit 26 activates a signal route of the N-ISUP, manages and controls a signal link state (availability and nonavailability), and performs functions for maintaining a traffic transmission performance of the signal network such as updating a link state with occurrence of failure of the link or to manage prohibition. The data managing unit 27 stores user data, such as, the originating point code and a destination point code of the N-ISUP, inputted through a user interface managing unit (not shown), analyzes the user instruction to perform a corresponding instruction, and then informs an operation and maintenance (OAM) part of the result.
In operation of the MTP L3 protocol 20, a user registers user data, such as, the originating point code, a destination point code, a signal link, a signal link set, and a signal route related to the N-ISUP network 30 in the data managing unit 27 through a user interface (not shown). After the user data is completely registered, the user inputs a control instruction to the internal managing unit 23 to access the destination point code associated with the N-ISUP 30. Next, the internal managing unit 23 determines whether the signal link currently intended to be activated by the user is the N-ISUP on the basis of the control instruction and the data stored in the data managing unit 27.
If the signal link to be activated is the N-ISUP, the internal managing unit 23 controls the signal link managing unit 24, the signal link set managing unit 25 and the signal route managing unit 26 in turn to activate the signal link, the signal link set and the signal route. Accordingly, the MTP L3 protocol 20 transmits and receives a message to and from the destination point code of the N-ISUP 30 through the activated signal link, the signal link set and the signal route.
In a state that the signal link, the signal link set and the signal route are activated, when the primitive managing unit 21 receives a certain message from the MTP level 2 10, it compares the originating point code and destination point code included in the received message to the originating point code and destination point code stored in data managing unit 27 and determines whether the received message is the N-ISUP message.
If the received message is the N-ISUP message, the primitive managing unit 21 searches field information of the N-ISUP message and determines whether the corresponding N-ISUP message is an originating message or a destination message. If the N-ISUP message is the originating message, the primitive managing unit 21 outputs the corresponding N-ISUP message to the message distribution managing unit 22. If the N-ISUP message is the destination message, the primitive managing unit 21 routes the N-ISUP message to the corresponding destination point.
The message distribution managing unit 22 analyzes field information of the N-ISUP inputted from the primitive managing unit 21 and determines whether the N-ISUP message is a user message or an administrative message. If the N-ISUP message is a user message, the message distribution managing unit 22 directly transmits the N-ISUP message through the activated signal link, the signal link set and a signal route to the Destination Point Code (DPC) of the N-ISUP 30. If, however, the N-ISUP message is an administrative message, the message distribution managing unit 22 outputs the received N-ISUP administrative message to the internal managing unit 23. Then, the internal managing unit 23 manages the state of the signal link, the signal link set and the signal route according to the administrative message.
FIG. 3 is a drawing illustrating an MTP L3 protocol 50 structure of the signaling system No. 7 for interfacing a B-ISUP network. The MTP L3 protocol 50 has the same structure as that of the MTP L3 protocol 20 as shown in FIG. 2, except that it interfaces a B-ISUP message instead of the N-ISUP message. The user registers the originating point code, a destination point code, a signal link a signal link set and a signal route related to the B-ISUP network in the data managing unit 57 through a user interface (not shown). After the user data is completely registered, the user inputs a control instruction to the internal managing unit 53 to sequentially activate the signal link, the signal link set and the signal route of the B-ISUP.
In this state, when the primitive managing unit 51 receives a predetermined message from an Asynchronous Transfer Mode (ATM) adaptation layer (AAL) 40 (a lower layer of the protocol), the primitive managing unit 51 determines whether the received message is a B-ISUP message. If the received message is the B-ISUP message, the primitive managing unit 51 searches field information of the B-ISUP message and determines whether the corresponding B-ISUP message is the originating message or the destination message. If the B-ISUP message is the originating message, the primitive managing unit 51 outputs the corresponding B-ISUP message to the message distribution managing unit 52. If, however, the B-ISUP message is a destination message, the primitive managing unit 51 routes it to a corresponding destination point.
The message distribution managing unit 52 analyzes field information of the B-ISUP message inputted from the primitive managing unit 51 and determines whether the B-ISUP message is a user message or an administrative message. If the B-ISUP message is a user message, the message distribution managing unit 52 directly transmits the B-ISUP message through the activated signal link, the signal link set and the signal route to a destination signal point of the B-ISUP 60. If, however, the B-ISUP message is determined to be an administrative message, the message distribution managing unit 52 outputs the received B-ISUP administrative message to the internal managing unit 53, so that the internal managing unit 53 manages the state of the signal link, the signal link set and the signal route according to the administrative message.
In the conventional signaling system No.7, described above, the MTP level 3 protocol is independently implemented depending on a type of the ISDN network to be received by the signaling system No.7. Thus, a problem arises that the MTP L3 protocol structure of the conventional signaling system No.7 must implement separate protocol structures to interface N-ISUP and B-ISUP signaling.
In addition, where an N-ISUP network is replaced with a B-ISUP network, both MTP level 3 and MTP level 2 must be replaced increasing the complexity of network upgrade.